In January and February, I did lots of things I don’t remember.
But let's talk about what I do remember. First off, sometime in January I went to go visit one of my nearest neighbors, E. Even though we live close, the only time I had been to her site was to drop her off over a year ago on my way to my owns site for affectation. But, her village was having a fete in honor of the village itself. And I thought to myself, what better reason to party? Originally I had opted out, but as everyone else was bailing, I decided to go so that it wouldn’t be a letdown. It wasn’t at all.
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| B and E |
B, E and I had a great time. First off, it was awesome seeing her village. It’s a lot smaller than mine and she lives IN her chief’s courtyard. How awesome is that? Her chief was really nice to us and her family brought us food. Also, they have a horse!
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| B wasn't sure about the horse :) |
At the end of a bike race, a village market (with much eating), and meeting her medical staff, we sat down to some freshly roasted chicken, free beer, and a little bit of free dancing. Dig it.
Back in my village I was still working with a group of 10 CM2 (think 6th grade, but students from 11- 14) students for an hour after school once every week or two learning about health topics. I started this (somewhat) in December. These 5 boys and 5 girls, picked for their French ability, had (I’m pretty much sure) been coerced into coming to listen to my bad French by their teacher, also the director (read, principal) of the school. Which I appreciated in an odd “I reallywant to work with students and if this is the only way I can do it great” kind of way. They were surprisingly helpful and not too often bored (at least they didn’t seem it). School here is largely based on memorization, penmanship, and ability to grasp a totally foreign language (French). I tried teaching techniques from America (like working in groups), but they could never grasp the concept. Each time they just looked at me like I was speaking Greek after the third time I explained it, I wilted a little. So I gave up on that and tried to stick to the basic format of lecturing with kids writing notes. That was a little too boring so I did it along with some more lively Q and A and some “health” games. I thought it was going well.
They liked the games, but I don't think they really learned much else. This past month we’ve started presenting to the other classes in the school. Basically it’s a mess because the kids have never done public speaking in groups before. They didn’t know what to pick to talk about when we tried to come up with topics. I didn’t realize the teachers hadn’t expected me to teach them health and let them do the sensibilisations (teachings) on their own. They had expected me to give each child something to say and to practice the presentations each week. Go figure. Well, at least I know what they're thinking if there's a next time.
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| A group presenting to the youngest kids |
It’s going as OK as can be expected for my inexperienced mistake. The kids are pretty forgiving (much more so that the critical teachers) and are doing their best falling back on knowledge about hygiene they learned in other classes. Though last presentation (in Moore) I caught a kid talking about malaria. Interesting, I thought, considering we had never done anything on malaria. :) Well, at least his information was right even if less relevant to the presentation. We have 7 presentations all together, 3 of which have been finished. The kids are tired of presenting the same material, but are hanging in there as much as 6th graders can. Rather mostly because the director is making them. But who knows, maybe they’re teaching their younger brothers and sisters to wash their hands before eating. Just maybe.
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| Another pic (They suck because I couldn't use the flash) |
I also went to visit my friend B this past month up north (Yep, the same one). Many people I know live near her site and I’d yet to have visited any of them. I was supposed to be headed up Valentine's morning. I made it late that night, but only after a minor nassara miracle and some food poisoning. I don’t know if you know this, but food poisoning SUCKS. I finally got to eat some nachos only to throw them all up the next morning. Merry Valentines to me. The miracle was that the buses were running an hour late, but I was invited onto an entirely full bus (never happens), to a VIP seat no less, at the time I was supposed to be leaving… because they thought I was a tourist. I don’t play the nassara card, but if they’re gonna give it to me when I have food poisoning, I take it.
When I finally got there it was too late to bike to B's site so we stayed in the big village near, in C’s very nice house. (Teachers, man.) Anyway, it was super nice of C to let us stay. The next morning we biked to her site. Which I loved seeing! It was super close to this big village, but there aren’t suburbs here, it was 100 percent village.
She lives in a family courtyard, but the courtyards up north are completely different from in my village. It’s hard to explain, but there are a lot more walls involved up north in the family courtyards; ours are more round and open. Her family was decently nice to me, but sometimes pretty harsh to her. She had a hard time finding a niche with her family after the first volunteer left and most of them are still confrontational, much more so than anyone but the most curmudgeon in my village.She copes much better than I think I would.
Also, it was clearly apparent that living in a family courtyard like B’s meant very different personal boundaries. People tried to leave us alone a bit out of respect to me, but people still walked into her tiny courtyard without knocking and sometimes even into her house. It was very hard for me to get used to anyone in the house and anyone showing up unexpectedly. What if I was changing? What if she was peeing? Apparently, they didn’t really care that much.
People don’t always understand my boundaries in my village, but they have ALWAYS respected them. Sometimes they even leave my courtyard alone a little too much (partly because many people think I’m sleeping any time I’m in my house, because that’s all they use their houses for.) But I also never have anyone into my house ( the exceptions being my very best village friends, repairmen, and the kids for a movie once because it was raining). Even the youngest kids learn quickly that inside is off limits. But, then again, that’s something the volunteer before me and I had in common, so my village had already learned to respect her rules. I loved the visits from people at B’s, but it was a lot for me to get used to.
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| B and her Yabba (Grandmother) |
Though B’s “family” can be a little rough, she has some great people in her village. She’s neighbors with a teenage girl who takes care of her elderly grandmother. These two seemed to be more like B’s real family. They both had great senses of humor and seemed like “good people” people. The people we passed in village seemed genuinely glad to bet chatting with her (she is the best Moore speaking volunteer in BF…. Deal B, it’s true), and her village medical staff didn’t seem to know how lucky they’d got in getting B as a volunteer. An odd assortment, her nurses, but they get things done much better than the ones at my place. She also has them figured out really well so she gets a lot of collaboration.
B does some super awesome projects, too. While we were there I tried (and failed) to help her paint signs for her CSPS (village medical center) showing things like malaria stats. She was very kind, but will (I’m sure) be fixing it with a paint marker. I’m not so good at the detailed stuff.
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| B painting signs |
The most inspiring project came late the second night I was there. One of her (many, at least 3 I think) women’s groups was meeting. Starting an hour later than their weekly ritual because it had been a “day with much work” (and you know it’s a lot of work if these women say so!), the women gathered each other. Twenty-something of them got together in a circle. As they started chatting, I sat near B who translated and explained the group. The leader, a very forcible and likable woman sat topless in the flashlight scribbling numbers and looking at names. Each woman, B explained, brought 100 CFA (think 20 cents, but it means a lot more here) every week to put in the box.
Earlier that year they had sold neem cream, a lotion like pomade made with leaves of the neem tree that repel mosquitos. This cream both helps decrease the rate of malaria and increases the profit of women in the community… especially cool. The women saved all of the profit from the last malaria season in the box. In addition to the money given each week, they have saved quite a bit! The best part is, once a month (think if I remember right B?) One woman gets to take out a whole 5 mille CFA (10 dollars to you and me, a small fortune to any woman here to get all at one time). This is, in a sense, her payment. She can spend the money any way she wants and does not have to pay it back like a loan. It is more money than most (or maybe any) of these women have ever saved at once in their lives.
Each woman will receive the money once and then they will circle through again. B is hoping that with increased profits from this year’s neem cream sales the women will be able to “win” the 5 mille more often. It was a beautiful thing to watch. While the women clearly liked and respected B, it was also clear that the group was their own and could now be easily run without her. It would (and will, I’d bet 100 dollars on it) continue long after she leaves. It was honestly the coolest thing I’ve seen in my PC experience.
(There are no pics of this, but memories are better)
Not every volunteer can do neem cream, or a womens group, or an IGA (income-generating activity), or a savings group. Nor should they. But B’s combination of these and the motivation of her women was a perfect fit. This, I remember thinking, is what it’s supposed to be. It gave me hope that not all development work is shit. It certainly isn’t to those women.
Leaving B’s gave me new inspiration to go back to site with. I know my village has many challenges, and I’ve come to an understanding I will have no great projects to look back on. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on working with the people I’ve come to know and love. I rode the bus back to Ouaga and then made it back to site.
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| The raw material (not exactly like I wanted it, but it'll do nicely) |
At site, besides the kids and the other projects I’m starting to plan for later on, I’m doing a mural about AIDS. This was supposed to be done in December (World Aids Day, AIDS month, etc). Gives you a sense of time here I guess. Well, it’s partially my fault, but I’m glad it’s finally started; I’m nervous it won’t look amazing; and I’m glad to finally be DOING something tangible. Kuddos to my last Major (read: head nurse and local work partner) for letting me have a whole wall to work with! (Oh, by the way, I also got a brand new Major a week or so ago. The 2nd one I’ve had for the last year or so left got a new one of those again... 3rd one’s the charm?)
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| All of my 2nd Major's belongings... AKA how a "rich" Burkinabe moves homes |
The wall is, and paintings are going to be, huge. Some of my nurses helped me paint the white backgrounds. They weren’t the best painters (most people here have never painted a wall in their lives unless it’s their profession), but I was SUPER exited they just volunteered to help. It is the FIRST time that has happened on one of my projects. Though I tried not to take it too hard when they asked for payment in the form of Cokes and Fanta afterwards, I made a joke out of it and they didn’t seem too upset I wasn’t giving in. I do think they enjoyed the painting despite their serious faces in this pic.
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| My nurses painting the start to the mural |
Right now I’m in Ouaga making plans to go to Liberia (via Ghana) to visit my sister at the end of the month. Seriously, I’ll be back in Ouaga like the 27th to get on a bus to get on a plane to GO see her (and, um, Liberia I guess)! A thousand thanks to everyone making this possible (which mostly is you, Kate). My PC friend just asked me to ask: Does your awesomeness know no bounds? I don’t know if I have an answer for them. :)
I am also making loose plans for going to Ghana with my parents and then having them visit my village in June. How lucky can a lady get?
I have no time at the moment to type to you all about the time I got lost the wilderness for 5 hours, the day there was no sun, and further conversations with Alimata my rice lady. Trust me, they’re good stories, but they will just have to await their proper telling. Stay tuned.
All my love (and I miss you people!)
JK
